Closing her eyes, June whispered, “Amman inoke.”

Though all the doors were closed and there were no windows, a brisk wind found its way into the room immediately, raising the hair on the back of Aina’s neck.

As the bit of diamond visible through the blood glowed with a soft internal light, Aina wondered which jewelry store it had come from, who had sold it to the store, whom June had bought it from … and then a black slate fell over her eyes.

22

“What—?” The world disappeared, and all Aina saw was blackness. Her fingers twitched toward her knives.

“Shh,” Raurie whispered.

The vision descended into darkness, as if she were staring into a cavern lake with no chance of light reaching in.

Then it brightened and murky images formed: a long, narrow room with numerous small windows. But even though it was still daytime, the world outside those windows was dark and ominous. Rows of seats spread along the room with a strip of floor between them. A few dim yellow lights hung on the walls. Kouta sat in one of the seats, his neck still bandaged, gaze fixed on the windows as if he we were waiting for something. There was no sign of the guards he’d left Amethyst Hill with.

The scent of blood reached her nostrils. She sucked in air from the real world, which pulled her out of the vision like a fish on a hook.

In seconds, her own vision cleared, and Aina found herself in June Coste’s home again.

“Are you okay, Aina?” came Teo’s voice, tinged with concern. He sat right next to her, but the words seemed to come from miles away.

“What the hell was that?” she asked.

“The vision showed you where he is,” June answered simply. “A long room with many seats and windows. Do you know of such a place?”

Aina shook her head. “No. Can it show us more? His surroundings, maybe?”

June shook her head slowly. “It will only show you exactly where the person you seek is at this moment, and nothing else. We have his blood, not the blood of the walls or the floor surrounding him. You may use the information you viewed through the Mothers’ benefaction as you wish.”

A moment of silence followed, and then Raurie spoke up. “My aunt doesn’t like being involved in politics and murder.”

Taking the hint, they stood to leave. June extinguished the candles, plunging the room into shadows.

After the vision and the blood in June Coste’s house, everything about Teo’s apartment seemed too bright and kind. Ynes prepared bowls of soup and cups of tea for the three of them and hummed while she stood at the stove.

“Thank you,” Aina said when Teo handed her a cup of tea. “So, do you know anywhere like it? A long, dark room full of windows? It doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen in the city before.”

“Perhaps not in the city,” Ryuu began, his eyes brightening, “but underneath it.”